


Practically Something

by SomeoneAsGoodAsYou (the_wanlorn)



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Halloween, Halloween movies, Happy Ending, Light Angst, couch cuddling, you know the drill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 12:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21253682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_wanlorn/pseuds/SomeoneAsGoodAsYou
Summary: Lucifer + Chloe + Trixie + Halloween movies. Need I say more?





	Practically Something

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the lovely [@tellmeyourdeepestdesire](https://tellmeyourdeepestdesire.tumblr.com/), for the prompt:
> 
> "**1/ Practical Magic and Nightmare Before Christmas** and / or 2/ People don’t arrive broken. They start with passion and yearning till something comes along that disabuses them of those notions. Lucifer s2 ep 3"
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

The invitation to come over on Halloween clearly surprised Lucifer, his eyes widening slightly and brow crinkling in brief confusion. Then he was back to being cheerful and insincere, like he was so often after coming back from Hell.

It had been a rough couple of months, Chloe and Lucifer in a sort of limbo state, where they weren't quite sure what to make of each other anymore. Lucifer had come back harder and more closed off than he had been in a while, and Chloe didn't know what to do with that. She had drawn away, and he had drawn away, and now they were in a state where she couldn't be sure if he still loved her or was just putting up with her.

God knew what he was feeling.

"I'm afraid I'm not one for begging for sweets, darling," he said, that fake smile still on his face. "Not when I can just have it delivered."

She put aside her instinctive _what the fuck_ at that--of course there was candy delivery in LA, of course--and nodded. "Well trick-or-treating is on Saturday this year-"

"Not on Halloween?" he asked, blinking and crinkling his brow again in a way that made her want to laugh and smooth out the wrinkles with her fingertips. "Isn't that the whole point?"

"Halloween's on a school night," she said instead of reaching out for him. "The city reschedules it."

"Reschedules..." he frowned. "If you're not wandering in search of sweets on the day itself, what are you doing?"

"Trixie and I usually watch Halloween movies and eat candy," she said.

"A bit of Netflix and chill for us after the urchin's in bed, then?" he asked, his eyes lighting up, but something seemed... forced about it. Fake.

Still, she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes and told him no. "But you're right. It's probably not your speed," she said and turned away to go do... something else. Something that wasn't wallowing in second thoughts and regrets.

"No, I-" he said as he grabbed her sleeve before she could go anywhere. "I suppose I can put up with your spawn for a little while."

She smiled, unable to stop, and nodded. "If you want to come for dinner, we're having pumpkin soup and crusty bread."

"Yes, alright," he said, looking vaguely surprised as he said, "That- that sounds good."

"Okay," she said. "Okay. Now, about the case..."

* * *

Halloween dawned, hot and humid, and with Chloe staring around the house, regret in her stomach like a leaden balloon. What had she been thinking, inviting Lucifer over for a family event. He didn't do family. He barely did her anymore.

And oh, what a field day he would have had with that phrasing.

It was too late to change her mind, though, so after dropping Trixie off at school she ran down to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of expensive whiskey--probably still not to his standards, but it was the thought that counted, hopefully--and the store to pick up an extra bag of candy. They had a lot of trick-or-treaters that year, so her Halloween supply was running low.

Work was weird, Lucifer forcibly cheerful in a way he hadn't been since the first few days after he got back, when he wasn't okay but was trying to trick everyone into thinking he was. She considered giving him an out, but there was a piece of her that wanted him to have to tell her to his face he no longer wanted to- to be what they had been before. That he no longer wanted her company. That he no longer wanted _her_.

Because that's what it would be if he backed out, and she was pretty sure he knew that. Intentional or not, it would declare his intentions toward her.

It didn't occur to her until she was already home that Lucifer probably had a party or six he wanted to go to instead of coming and hanging out with her and her pre-teen. No wonder he had looked like he wanted to cancel all day. She almost called him to give him an out. Almost.

But no, the good parties wouldn't start until after Trixie was in bed; he could leave then. The thought had something uncomfortable turning in her stomach, but she ignored it. She had no claim over him, not anymore. Maybe she would again, someday, but not now.

Trixie was already wound up when Chloe got home, and her trick-or-treat bag seemed to have suffered a large dip in candy supply over the afternoon. But, it was Halloween, so Chloe just shook her head and smiled. The sugar crash would happen after the first movie, she was sure, and then Lucifer could go do... whatever it was he would prefer to be doing.

By the time the soup was almost done simmering on the stove, she was starting to think he was just not going to show. If she was being honest with herself, she had wanted him to jump on the chance to see her outside of work, to be excited--or at least pleased--about it. She shouldn't be standing there in front of the cupboard, pulling out bowls and wondering if she should put away the third.

Just when she was glancing to her phone, wondering if she should text him, her front door--which she had definitely locked--opened. Trixie's shout of delight let her know that it was Lucifer, so she stopped dithering over the third bowl and set the table.

She could hear Lucifer and Trixie talking quietly as she bustled around the kitchen, adding the final touches to the soup and pulling the bread out of the oven where it was keeping warm. When she looked up as she as closing the oven door, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling, she jumped and nearly burned her hand at the sight of Lucifer leaning against the counter and watching her with a soft smile on his face. The smile disappeared quickly, though, and he held out a bottle of wine.

"I come bearing treats, not tricks," he said as he did, and she smiled at him as she reached out to take it.

"Thank you," she said, and her fingers slid along his and she thought maybe he felt the same electric thrill as her, given the way his eyes widened slightly.

"My pleasure," he murmured before stepping back and around her to go peer into the pot on the stove.

"Hey!" she said, smacking his arm and giving him a light shove away from the stove as he went to grab the spoon she had been using to stir and steal a taste. "If Trixie doesn't get to eat straight from the pot, neither do you."

"I hardly think tasting constitutes eating, darling," he said with a wicked glimmer in his eyes that she chose to ignore, but she did sigh--even though she couldn't quite banish the smile from her lips--and picked up the spoon.

She took a spoonful of soup and held it up, one hand hovering underneath to catch spills, only realizing what she was doing halfway through the motion. It was too late to change it, though, and so she mentally shrugged and committed to it. The way Lucifer looked at her for a moment before bending slightly so he could sip the soup from the spoon had her toes curling in her shoes.

"You've got a little..." she started, reaching out to get the spot of soup on the corner of his mouth with her thumb at the same time that his tongue swiped out to luck the offending spot.

She froze, and he froze, and they stared into each other's eyes for an endless moment before he turned his head just slightly to press a kiss to the pad of her thumb, and she inhaled sharply.

He looked like he was about to say something. Something in his eyes had her holding her breath, waiting. Which, of course, was the moment Trixie chose to come in to demand dinner be served.

"Yes, yes, alright you little menace," Lucifer said, stepping back and turning away like nothing had happened. "Let's let your mother finish what she was doing."

She stared after them for a moment before turning back to the counter to slice the bread.

* * *

Dinner passed uneventfully, with Trixie telling Lucifer all about trick-or-treating and how great her astronaut costume had been. Lucifer, for his part, listened and managed not to say anything too wildly outrageous.

As soon as dinner could be considered to be "over," Trixie was up and yelling, "I'll get the blankets!" as she left the room, and Chloe shared an amused look with Lucifer.

"So, what does the next part of your festivities entail?" he asked, standing and picking up the bowls to bring to the sink.

"You don't have to do that," Chloe said, not sure if she meant do the dishes or stay for the movies.

"You cooked, Detective, I can do the washing up."

He had already rolled up his sleeves to do it, but Chloe didn't think twice about putting a hand on his arm to pull him away. "Leave it," she said, "before Trixie eats all the good candy."

He seemed to hesitate there, on the brink of saying something. When he didn't she dropped her hand and said, "You don't have to do this. I'm sure there are- are parties you're wanting to get to-"

"No," he said sharply, then looked taken aback at his own vehemence. He continued, softer, "No, I'd- I'd like to stay if that's alright with you. If only to see how terrible the urchin's taste in movies is."

"My taste in movies is awesome," Trixie called from the other room, breaking the tension that had risen between them.

"We'll see about that, urchin," Lucifer called back and stepped away from the sink.

Chloe couldn't help but notice that he didn't unroll his shirt sleeves.

* * *

They always watched two movies together on Halloween: _It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown_ and _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. Then Chloe would watch whatever was on TV and pick out the "gross" candy from Trixie's bag.

Trixie was already ensconced in a pile of blankets--the AC kept a bit colder on Halloween just for this--with her bag of candy on her lap. Lucifer pointedly sat at the opposite end of the couch from her and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"Alright," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "What terrible movie are we watching first?"

Trixie gasped in affront and Chloe settled back with her own, store-bought, bowl of candy, letting their bickering wash over her. She had worried a bit over how Trixie would react to Lucifer's returned, but her little monkey--not so little anymore--didn't hold grudges. She had been overjoyed at Lucifer's return, echoing the Chloe's feelings for first couple weeks. But whereas Chloe had grown unsure, Trixie had just continually been happy to see him and treat him like nothing had changed.

She offered him a candy bar from the bowl and he took it gladly, their fingers brushing again. When she glanced at him, he was watching her with a curious look, before he turned back to the TV.

"Are you sure this is a Halloween movie?" he asked as they started up the second movie. "It looks awfully... Christmas-y to me."

Trixie rolled her eyes at him. "That just means we get to watch it at Christmas too. You'll see."

"This is _definitely_ a Christmas movie," Lucifer muttered under his breath, leaning away when Trixie kicked at him and scowled. "Detective! Your offspring is attacking me."

"It does start with Halloween," Chloe said, grabbing Trixie's leg before she could kick at him again and tickling the bottom of her foot. She shrieked and jerked it away, settling back as she giggled.

"But-" he started, but Chloe shoved a piece of chocolate in his mouth to shut him up, only realizing once she had sat back and he was looking at her, stunned, that she may have crossed a line.

"Sorry," she said, looking away.

"No, I- It's alright," he told her, swallowing quickly and licking his lips. She couldn't help but follow the motion, her own tongue flicking out to wet her lips.

They both looked away at the same time.

Trixie fell asleep halfway through the movie, sugar crash coming only slightly later than Chloe predicted, slumping over until she was laying across Chloe's lap. Lucifer looked surprisingly engrossed in the movie, making Chloe smile a little.

"C'mon Trix, bedtime," she said after a few minutes, shaking Trixie's shoulder a little as the movie played on.

With only a little grumbling on Trixie's part, Chloe managed to chivvy her up and to the bathroom to brush her teeth, then to bed. When she came out after tucking Trixie in, closing the door behind her, Lucifer was watching her with a sharpness to his eyes that made her hesitate before offering him some wine.

"Or whiskey. I bought-" she started but blanked on the name. "-something that is probably not up to your standards. Or I'm sure you have places to go."

"Trying to get rid of me, Detective?" he asked, smoothly rising to his feet.

"No," she said, surprising herself with her honesty. "But I don't want you to feel like you have to stay."

He froze for a moment at that, a barely noticeably stutter of motion before he was coming toward her, and then past her and into the kitchen. He pulled the corkscrew out of its drawer like he'd been over a thousand times before and uncorked the wine to let it breathe.

"I have nowhere else to be tonight," he said once he'd turned back to her.

"Good," she said, unable to stop the foolish smile on her face. "I'm going to go see what other movies I can find. You know where the glasses are."

She eyed the couch for a moment before settling down in the middle again, leaving Lucifer his choice of the ends. _Practical Magic_ was on, which was one of her favorite Halloween movies. It might not be what he was expecting to watch when she had invited him over--it was considerably less gory than most Halloween movies--but oh well. She didn't always have the patience for horror films; there was enough of that in her real life.

"What's this now?" Lucifer asked, handing her a glass of wine before settling in at the end of the couch. She took a sip, not surprised that it was a stunningly good vintage.

"Practical Magic," she said, taking another sip before continuing with, "It's one of my favorite movies for this time of year."

"Ah," was all he said before he fell into a contemplative silence.

Over the course of the movie, she found herself migrating toward his end of the couch. At one point, he put his arm up along the back and she realized she was nearly cuddled up against his side. If she thought he had been aware of what was happening, she would have thought it was A Move. But he was focused on the screen, a crinkle in his brow that made him look worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked as the movie drew to a close. She could feel the heat of him against her side, not quite touching but close enough that it almost didn't matter.

"Your favorite movie is about letting go after loss?" he asked.

She blinked. "I never looked at it quite like that, but yeah, I guess so."

He made a contemplative noise. "And is that-" He shook his head, a false smile pasted on his face as the crinkle smoothed out and he looked more like the Lucifer she remembered. It hurt.

It took her a moment, but she realized what he was asking as he took another sip of wine.

"It's just a movie, Lucifer, not some secret message," she said, only a little exasperated.

"Ah," he said again, taking another sip of wine before turning to her, seemingly surprised at how close she was. "Then may I kiss you?" he asked, his voice low.

She blinked in surprise, her pause long enough that he started to look concerned again, like he'd misread the situation. And, she supposed, he sort of had, since she hadn't been thinking about their relationship, but...

"Yeah, yes," she breathed, and then his mouth was on hers.

It was a sweet kiss, soft and gentle, not like any of the kisses they'd shared before. There was a hesitancy to it at first, but then he grew bolder, and soon they were necking on the couch like teenagers. Another movie started playing, but she couldn't say what it was.

It was turning out to be a happy Halloween indeed.


End file.
